Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter CXXIV: 26-25

26. Craig Conroy

Craig Conroy was a 6’2", 200 lb. center from Potsdam, New York. Born on September 4th, 1971, he was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the sixth round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft with the 123rd overall selection. He didn’t turn pro right away, instead opting to attend Clarkson University. He scored 64 goals and 100 assists in 140 contests, graduating with the Class of 1994.

Before his first game in Calgary, Conroy played professionally with the Fredericton Canadiens (131 games, 67 goals, 62 assists, 104 PiM), Montreal (13 games, one goal, zero assists, two PiM), the St. Louis Blues (359 games, 57 goals, 94 assists, 209 PiM), and the Worcester IceCats (five games, five goals, six assists, two PiM). On March 13th, 2001, the Blues traded Conroy with a draft pick (David Moss) to the Flames for Cory Stillman. He scored three goals with four assists through 14 games through the end of the season with the Flames. He took 32 shots on goal, earned an even rating and 14 penalty minutes while playing 18:08 per game. He scored two goals on April 4th in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Calgary went 27-36-15-4 on the season.

Conroy played 81 games for the Flames in 2001-02, and score a career high 27 goals on 146 shots. He was second on the club with 75 points, leading the team with 48 assists, earning a plus-24 rating and 32 minutes in the penalty box. He played 20:56 per game on the first line, bordered mostly by Jarome Iginla and Dean McAmmond. His 9.4 point shares were also a career best, and second amongst the team’s skaters behind line mate Iginla. For his efforts, he almost (if not for Michael Peca) won the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Conroy finished with double figures 21 times over the season. On March 4th, he scored a goal and three assists in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers. Three weeks later, he scored twice with a pair of assists in a 6-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flames posted a 32-35-12-3 record overall.

In 2002-03, Conroy played 79 games for the eventual 29-36-13-4 Flames, with a team-leading 37 assists and a team second 59 total points. He scored 22 times on 143 shots for a Flames-best 15.4% shot rate. In 19:47 per game on the first line, he managed to earn a minus-4 rating and 36 penalty minutes. He had 13 multi-point games, including two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on January 20th. On February 7th, in another 4-3 victory over the Oilers, he collected three assists.

2003-04 would see Conroy’s playing time diminish to 63 games due to injury, but he still placed second on the team in scoring with 47 overall points. He only scored eight times on 112 shots, but led the club with 39 helpers. He was second on the team with a plus-13 rating in 19:13 per game, and earned 44 penalty minutes. On January 19th, he collected four assists in a 5-1 win against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Flames impressed with a 42-30-7-3 record, then surprised everyone by running the table in the Western Conference, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in seven, the Detroit Red Wings in six, and the San Jose Sharks, also in six. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Calgary in seven games to claim the Stanley Cup. Conroy appeared in all 26 contests, scoring seven times with a club leading 11 assists.

During the 2004 offseason, the Los Angeles Kings signed Conroy through free agency, and he scored 27 times with 55 assists over 130 games for them over parts of the next two seasons. The Kings sent him back to Calgary for Jamie Lundmark and two draft choices (Dwight King and Mitch Wahl). Conroy played 28 games through the rest of the 2006-07 season for the Flames. He lit the lamp eight times on only 39 shots, along with 13 assists, a plus-10 rating, and 18 penalty minutes. On February 15th, in a 7-5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, he scored a goal and two assists. On March 6th, he scored twice with one helper as the Flames topped the St. Louis Blues, 4-2. Calgary finished at 43-29-10, then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Red Wings in six games. Conroy had a goal, an assist, and eight penalty minutes.

In 2007-08, Conroy had a down year offensively. He played in 79 games, averaging 17:09 per night, but only totaled a dozen goals (including four game winners) on 116 shots. He added 22 assists, a plus-6 rating, and 71 penalty minutes. On December 29th, he assisted on three markers as the Flames defeated the Ducks, 5-3.  The Flames finished with a 42-30-10 record, then lost in seven games in the first round to the Sharks. Conroy earned just two assists with eight penalty minutes through the series.

2008-09 would see Conroy appear in 82 games for the first and only time in his career. He skated for 15:22 per game, lighting the lamp a dozen times on 104 shots with 36 assists to place fourth on the team with 48 total points. He led the team with a plus-20 rating and spent 28 minutes in the penalty box. He earned 14 multipoint games through the season. On November 6th, he scored twice (including a shorthander) and added an assist as the Flames held off a late charge by the Nashville Predators to finish on top, 7-6. Calgary improved to 46-30-6, but were again the victims of a first round loss, this time in six games to the Blackhawks. Conroy had a single assist through the playoffs.

Conroy would see his numbers dry up to three goals on 52 shots and a dozen assists in 2009-10. He played in 63 games, earned 25 penalty minutes and a minus-6 rating. On December 30th, he scored the game winner in a 2-1 affair over Los Angeles. Calgary missed the postseason with a 40-32-10 record.

In 2010-11, Conroy appeared 18 times and played less than 10 minutes per game, scoring just twice on 11 shots and not making any assists. He announced his retirement on February 11th, and joined the Flames organization in management. He was promoted to Assistant General Manager on June 6th, 2014.

All-Time Statline: 507 games, 97 goals, 211 assists, plus-62 rating, 276 penalty minutes, 32.41 point shares.

25. Daymond Langkow

Daymond Langkow was a 5’10" center from Edmonton, Alberta. Born on September 27th, 1976, he played parts of five seasons in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans (247 games, 159 goals, 219 assists) starting in April 1992. He was chosen in the first round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He earned an assist in four games for the Bolts near the end of the 1995-96 campaign.

Langkow ended up playing in parts of four seasons for Tampa Bay (173 games, 27 goals, 34 assists). He later played three seasons each with the Philadelphia Flyers (209 games, 41 goals, 86 assists) and the Phoenix Coyotes (243 games, 68 goals, 98 assists). Just prior to the 2004-05 season that never happened, the Coyotes sent him to the Flames for Denis Gauthier and Oleg Saprykin.

2005-06 would see Langkow play in all 82 games for the Flames, skating for 18:07 per contest. He ranked second on the club with 59 overall points, with a team-leading 34 assists and 25 goals (including a team-best seven game winners) on 171 shots (a club leading 14.6 shot percentage, minimum five goals). He earned a plus-2 rating and 46 penalty minutes. On December 3rd, he scored twice, including the game winner in a 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. On April 11th, he earned a point on each goal, scoring once and assisting on two more in a 3-0 blanking of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Calgary earned a 46-25-11 Northwest Division clinching record. The Ducks took care of Calgary, unfortunately in the first round of the postseason in seven games. Langkow had a goal and five assists, leading the Flames with a plus-4 rating.

In 2006-07, Langkow had a career high 77 (but only team-third) points in 81 contests. He scored 33 goals on 247 shots with 44 assists, a club second plus-23 rating, and 44 penalty minutes. He was second to Jarome Iginla with six game winning goals, and played an average of 20:07 per game. He had 18 instances of more than one point in a game, including four times with three or more. On December 16th, he had one goal and three assists in a 6-3 win over the Coyotes. On January 11th, he lit the lamp twice with two more assists in a 7-3 triumph over the Avalanche. The Flames went 43-29-10, then lost in the first round to Detroit in six games. Langkow had two goals and two assists in the series.

Langkow played 80 games with the Flames in 2007-08, and for the second time in his career (and in a row) broke the 30 goal barrier. He scored exactly 30 in 201 contests with 35 assists in 18:50 per game for a team-third 65 points. He had a plus-16 rating and 19 penalty minutes. On 16 occasions he earned multiple points. On January 18th, he scored his first career hat trick in a 6-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames went 42-30-10 on the season, then lost in the first round to the San Jose Sharks. Langkow had three markers and two helpers through the series.

2008-09 would see Langkow score 21 goals on 161 games over 73 games. He played 17:11 per game, adding 28 assists, a plus-1 rating and 20 penalty minutes. On January 6th, he scored twice in a 5-2 win against San Jose. In his next game, he totaled a goal and two assists in a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders. The Flames finished the season at 46-30-6 to finish in second in the Northwest Division. The Chicago Blackhawks eliminated them in six games. Langkow had three assists and a team-leading plus-4 rating.

In 2009-10, Langkow averaged 18:55 over 72 games. He scored 14 times on 126 shots with 23 assists, a plus-2 rating, and 30 penalty minutes. On January 2nd, he earned assists on each of Calgary’s three goals as they downed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1. On March 21st, he suffered a neck injury versus the Minnesota Wild which caused him to miss the rest of the season and most of the next. Calgary finished 40-32-10 on the season, missing out on the postseason. He returned on April Fools’ Day a year later, and earned an assist in four games to close out his Flames’ career.

Although Langkow almost never fought, he’s been known to stand up for his mates from time to time:

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During the 2011 offseason, the Flames traded Langkow back to the Coyotes. He appeared in 73 games, scoring 11 goals and 19 assists.

All-Time Statline: 392 games, 123 goals, 165 assists, plus-47 rating, 159 penalty minutes, 32.57 point shares.